The sight is a familiar one — a youngster excitedly chasing objects across a computer screen. In this case, however, the child has several electrodes attached to his head. The process is called neurofeedback, a relatively new drug-free approach to the treatment of attention deficit disorder (ADD), available through places like the ADD Centre.
Director Lynda Thompson, a psychologist and mother of an ADD child, learned about neurofeedback after many attempts to help her son, who has what she calls “a hunter mind.” The analogy is often used to describe the minds of children affected by ADD who constantly search for something more interesting, in contrast to those with the more common “farmer mind” who are able to focus on more mundane tasks.
In neurofeedback, electrodes or sensors are attached to the scalp using a non-invasive conductive gel. The sensors are connected to the neurofeedback EEG system, which monitors brainwave activity while the child is playing a computer game or participating in another learning activity. As soon as the child begins to “tune out,” the patterns change. The goal is to help the child find the “concentration zone” and learn what it feels like to stay focused.
Thompson says it’s like learning to ride a bike. “You cannot teach someone how to balance. They have to feel it,” she explains. “You also need to learn how it feels to stay focused.” Harry Giles, headmaster at The Giles School in Toronto, Ontario, is such a proponent of neurofeedback that he has invested in the equipment for his school.
He believes neurofeedback can eliminate ADD and improve anyone’s operating intelligence by 10 per cent. Only a handful of his students are affected by ADD, but Giles plans to offer neurofeedback sessions to all students and to conduct a research program complete with IQ testing.
Thompson agrees that neurofeedback improves intelligence — not by making students smarter but by allowing them to reach their full potential.
The ADD Centre’s program typically costs about $5,000, including initial assessment, 40 one-on-one biweekly sessions and followup. Thompson compares the cost to orthodontics: a long-term, permanent investment. Some private insurance companies may cover some or all of the cost.
The ADD Centre has locations in Toronto and in Mississauga. For more information, visit
www.addcentre.com.
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